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Duil Cuisine
Duil Cuisine reflects the struggle to grow a diverse spread of mundane crops in the magic-infused ecosystems of Duilintinn, while also demonstrating the kingdom's impressive tenacity and creativity. Common Ingredients Duil cuisine commonly consists of grains, root vegetables, meat, and herbs, which are produced in House Brody and distributed throughout the rest of the kingdom by the Merchants Guild and Farmers' Guild. Common sources of carbohydrates in Duil food are: * Barley * Oats * Wheat * Rye * Rice * Potatoes Common sources of protein in Duil food are: * Beans * Eggs * Hard Cheeses * Salted Meats * Wild game Common sources of fruits and vegetables in Duil food are: * Green leafy vegetables * Root Vegetables * Vines (melons, grapes, peas, squash, etc.) Flavoring Despite the lack of variety in base ingredients, Duilintinn's cuisine is unique for the vast array of herbs that are used in almost every dish. Even if you eat barley, venison, and potatoes for every meal, you can make them taste completely different each time with different herbs, and the people of Duilintinn are excellent ''at this trick. One of the most popular staples of Duil cuisine is herbed bread. With endless varieties and relatively simple ingredients, not a single meal goes by without a baked loaf of grain and herbs. Bakeries across Duilintinn pride themselves on creating unique combinations of flavors, but the basic formula remains the same. Travelers will bring a very dense, dry version of this herbed bread to sustain them without spoiling on the road. While it's still just as firm and chalky as its herb-less counterparts, at least there's some rosemary or something else tasty in it. Similar creativity is applied to the art of making cheese. Unlike other ingredients in Duilintinn's cuisine, cheese is produced locally instead of in House Brody. As a result, you'll find hundreds of different types of cheeses throughout Duilintinn. Unsurprisingly, alcohol is often spiced up with a medley of flavorful herbs as well. Drinks Grain-based alcohol is very common throughout Duilintinn, while fruit-based drinks (alcoholic or not) are rare. Hot drinks made from steeped herbs, such as tea, are very common. Coffee is also very popular and easy to purchase, but as an imported good, it's a bit costly. Milk is produced locally, and most people living outside of the cities keep at least one dairy animal for this express purpose. Within the cities, there are shops that sell dairy products from nearby farms. Unlike most medieval-era societies, water is often drunk on its own. Thanks to the benevolent member of the fae living in Duilintinn's waters, the kingdom suffers from little to no waterborne diseases. Dessert Most desserts in Duilintinn are some form of baked goods, such as cakes and cookies. During the winter, House Marvin uses the snow to freeze sap from the evergreen trees in the Western Forest, creating hard candies. As the forest becomes more dangerous in recent years, this practice has grown rarer. Sweeteners Sugar is expensive, so honey is used as a sweetener in almost every dessert in Duilintinn. Due to the scattered but widespread nature of beekeeping in Duilintinn, prices of honey are entirely dependent on regional factors. If you live somewhere with tons of flowers at a decently low/mid-level elevation, you’ll probably be able to afford honey without too much trouble. The only region that might have trouble getting affordable honey is the southern reaches of House Jameson, deep in the mountains. Other than that… I think we can assume almost everyone in a decent economic situation has access to honey in some capacity. It would probably be an “every once in a while” sort of treat for most people. Preservation In most homes, food is kept in underground storage basements, which are cooler, hidden away from wild animals, and easily accessible. Meat would be salted, smoked, or dried to keep it from going bad, and the truly perishable items (eggs, dairy) would need to be acquired on a local level and used immediately. That being said, between the mages and inventors of Duilintinn, other preservation methods are being discovered. However, these contraptions tend to be expensive, so you'd only find them in places that would benefit economically by preserving large amounts of food, such as taverns, trade storehouses, and Watch Outposts and Garrisons. Special Occasions ''See More: Duil Holidays Duilintinn generally celebrates events by eating more food on special occasions, rather than specific meals. However, a few special traditions exist. The first crops of the harvest are generally eaten in a big, celebratory meal that often corresponds with the April Holidays, depending on the region. During the Trade Season, it's traditional for people hosting foreign traders in their homes to share a meal with their new housemates using elements from both their cultures and Duil cuisine. In late October and early November, the magic of Hallows' Eve causes a boom in magical plant growth. Many people take this opportunity to eat foods with magical ingredients. While this is normally discouraged due to the risks of mixing magical effects, Hallows' Eve is the one day people indulge in a bit of magic in their food. Much like in the spring, there's a celebratory harvest meal in the fall. However, this doesn't correspond to any of Duilintinn's unique holidays. Finally, the December Holidays are absolutely full of feasting and celebration. This is another rare time when people let loose and put some magic in their meals, especially alcohol. During the outdoor celebrations, you'll often find large bonfires where everyone cooks together and warms up from the cold. At the end of the day, nothing evokes the feeling of contentment and thankfulness of the December Holidays like a full stomach after a big family meal.